Saxophonist Vick was a highly respected musician who never made a commercial impact in line with his talent. Yet his relatively small discography has a couple of fine albums, not least Commitment and this session originally issued on the legendary independent Strata-East. As with many notable releases on the label the spirit of Coltrane pervades the music, and it is to Vick's credit that he has managed to channel that in his own writing and playing without falling into pastiche. Vick is a potent soloist with a hard-hitting tone and punchy phrasing that enable him to stamp real authority on all his performances. However, this album stands out as much for the tunes as it does the solos from the leader and the cohesion of a very good band whose rhythm section is excellently anchored by the drums-and-bass dream team of Billy Hart and Sam Jones. There are wistful ballads, flighty swing and hard-edged funky grooves, but the pithy comment Vick passes on social issues, as in ‘Stop And Cop’, should not go unnoticed.